Well, it's been an interesting seven months, I guess. I stopped updating Five Random Songs because I was doing another blog (Game & Tonic) and that was taking up my time. And then, uh, a global pandemic hit (you may have heard about it!), and my creativity just went to shit.
So, yeah. Without any fanfare, I'm back. I wanted to listen to more of my music, simple as that.
The Police, "Message In A Bottle"
You've all heard this song, probably. Personally, I think the Police's first three albums still hold up just fine, and even go put them on occasionally. I don't know how the Police are regarded these days, if Sting's later behavior has damaged their reputation. But whatever, this is fun. Constant revisionism of bands is exhausting, and not really warranted in this case, I don't think. The Police were good! And then they became bloated and exploded.
Sleater-Kinney, "Oh!"
Meanwhile, the critical consensus on Sleater-Kinney is totally clear, which is that they're awesome. And it's one I've never been totally behind, mostly because everything of theirs seems so slippery in my head. Take this song, for instance - this is a jam, I'm really enjoying this. And I'll have totally forgotten the tune by the time I get done with this post. That's almost certainly my problem, but it's stopped me from really loving them. I'll never object to listening to them, but I'm probably not going to pick them either. (This means I only have four albums from them.)
Crudbump, "The Most Erotic Song Ever"
Fuck, goddamn, listen to that trumpet [begins stripping]
Hella, "Women of the 90s"
The other day, I was hanging out with some folks online and mentioned that I really enjoy the subgenre of "two people making a racket". Hella is one of the foremost practicitioners, with Spencer Seim (guitar) and Zach Hill (drums) sounding like at least four people most of the time. Beyond just marvelling at their instrumental prowess, this is just fun as a dramatic tune. It's noise rock, sure, but kind of accessible for all that.
David Porter, "I Got You And I'm Glad"
This song comes to us from towards the end of Stax's run, during the decline phase of the label after they were no longer independent. There aren't too many real hits from this period, but plenty of perfectly pleasant songs to listen to, so I'm not at all sorry when these tracks come up in shuffle.